CHAPTER XLV

AFTER having explained prophecy in accordance with reason and
Scripture, I must now describe the different degrees of prophecy from these two
points of view. Not all the degrees of prophecy which I will enumerate qualify a
person for the office of a prophet. The first and the second degrees are only steps
leading to prophecy, and a person possessing either of these two degrees does not
belong to the class of prophets whose merits we have been discussing. When such
a person is occasionally called prophet, the term is used in a wider sense, and
is applied to him because he is almost a prophet. You must not be misled by the
fact that according to the books of the Prophets, a certain prophet, after having
been inspired with one kind of prophecy, is reported to have received prophecy in
another form. For it is possible for a prophet to prophesy at one time in the form
of one of the degrees which I am about to enumerate, and at another time in another
form. In the same manner, as the prophet does not prophesy continuously, but is
inspired at one time and not at another, so he may at one time prophesy in the form
of a higher degree, and at another time in that of a lower degree; it may happen
that the highest degree is reached by a prophet only once in his lifetime, and afterwards
remains inaccessible to him, or that a prophet remains below the highest degree
until he entirely loses the faculty: for ordinary prophets must cease to prophesy
a shorter or longer period before their death. Comp. “And the word of the Lord ceased
from Jeremiah” (Ezra i. 1); “And these are the last words of David” (2 Sam. xxiii. 1).
From these instances it can be inferred that the same is the case with all prophets.
After this introduction and explanation, I will begin to enumerate the degrees of
prophecy to which I have referred above.

(1) The first degree of prophecy consists in the divine assistance
which is given to a person, and induces and encourages him to do something good
and grand, e.g., to deliver a congregation of good men from the hands of evildoers;
to save one noble person, or to bring happiness to a large number of people; he
finds in himself the cause that moves and urges him to this deed. This degree of
divine influence is called “the spirit of the Lord”; and of the person who is under
that influence we say that the spirit of the Lord came upon him, clothed him, or
rested upon him, or the Lord was with him, and the like. All the judges of Israel
possessed this degree, for the following general statement is made concerning them
— “The Lord raised up judges for them; and the Lord was with the judge, and he
saved them” (Judges ii. 18). Also all the noble chiefs of Israel belonged to this
class. The same is distinctly stated concerning some of the judges and the kings: —
“The spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” (ibid. xi. 29); of Samson it is said,
“The spirit of the Lord came upon him” (ibid. xiv. 19);
“And the spirit of the Lord came upon Saul when he heard those words” (1 Sam. xi. 6). When Amasa was moved by
the holy spirit to assist David, “A spirit clothed Amasa, who was chief of the captains,
and he said, Thine are we, David,” etc.(1 Chron. xii. 18). This faculty was always
possessed by Moses from the time he had attained the age of manhood; it moved him
to slay the Egyptian, and to prevent evil from the two men that quarrelled; it was
so strong that, after he had fled from Egypt out of fear, and arrived in Midian,
a trembling stranger, he could not restrain himself from interfering when he saw
wrong being done; he could not bear it. Comp. “And Moses rose and saved them” (Exod.
ii. 17). David likewise was filled with this spirit, when he was anointed with the
oil of anointing. Comp. “And the spirit of God came upon David from that day and
upward” (1 Sam. xvi. 13). He thus conquered the lion and the bear and the Philistine,
and accomplished similar tasks, by this very spirit. This faculty did not cause
any of the above-named persons to speak on a certain subject, for it only aims at
encouraging the person who possesses it to action; it does not encourage him to
do everything, but only to help either a distinguished man or a whole congregation
when oppressed, or to do something that leads to that end. Just as not an who have
a true dream are prophets, so it cannot be said of every one who is assisted in
a certain undertaking, as in the acquisition of property, or of some other personal
advantage, that the spirit of the Lord came upon him, or that the Lord was with
him, or that he performed his actions by the holy spirit. We only apply such phrases
to those who have accomplished something very good and grand, or something that
leads to that end: e.g., the success of Joseph in the house of the Egyptian, which
was the first cause leading evidently to great events that occurred subsequently.

(2) The second degree is this: A person feels as if something
came upon him, and as if he had received a new power that encourages him to speak.
He treats of science, or composes hymns, exhorts his fellow-men, discusses political
and theological problems; all this he does while awake, and in the full possession
of his senses. Such a person is said to speak by the holy spirit. David composed
the Psalms, and Solomon the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon
by this spirit; also Daniel, Job, Chronicles, and the rest of the Hagiographa were
written in this holy spirit; therefore they are called ketubim (Writings, or Written),
i.e., written by men inspired by the holy spirit. Our Sages mention this expressly
concerning the Book of Esther. In reference to such holy spirit, David says: “The
spirit of the Lord spoke in me, and his word is on my tongue” (2 Sam. xxiii. 2);
i.e., the spirit of the Lord caused him to utter these words. This class includes
the seventy elders of whom it is said, “And it came to pass when the spirit rested
upon them, that they prophesied, and did not cease” (Num. xi. 25); also Eldad and
Medad (ibid. ver. 26); furthermore, every high priest that inquired [of God] by
the Urim and Tummim; on whom, as our Sages say, the divine glory rested, and who
spoke by the holy spirit; Yabaziel, son of Zechariah, belongs likewise to this class.
Comp. “The spirit of the Lord came upon him in the midst of the assembly, and he
said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, thus saith the Lord unto you,”
etc. (2 Chron. xx. 14, 15); also Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. Comp. “And
he stood above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God” (ibid. xxiv. 20);
furthermore, Azariah, son of Oded; comp. “And Azariah, son of Oded, when the spirit
of the Lord came upon him, went forth before Asa,” etc. (ibid. xv. 1, 2); and all
who acted under similar circumstances. You must know that Balaam likewise belonged
to this class, when he was good; this is indicated by the words, “And God put a
word in the mouth of Balaam” (Num. xxiii. 5), i.e., Balaam spoke by divine inspiration;
he therefore says of himself, “Who heareth the words of God,” etc. (ibid. xxiv. 4).
We must especially point out that David, Solomon, and Daniel belonged
to this class, and not to the class of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nathan the prophet, Elijah
the Shilonite, and those like them. For David, Solomon, and Daniel spoke and wrote
inspired by the holy spirit, and when David says, “The God of Israel spoke and said
unto me, the rock of Israel” (2 Sam. xxiii. 3), he meant to say that God promised
him happiness through a prophet, through Nathan or another prophet. The phrase must
here be interpreted in the same manner as in the following passages, “And God said
to her” (Gen. xxv. 26); “And God said unto Solomon, Because this hath been in thy
heart, and thou hast not kept my covenant,” etc. (1 Kings xi. 11). The latter passage
undoubtedly contains a prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, or another prophet, who
foretold Solomon that evil would befall him. The passage, “God appeared to Solomon
at Gibeon in a dream by night, and God said” (ibid. iii. 5), does not contain a real
prophecy, such as is introduced by the words “The word of the Lord came to Abram
in a vision, saying” (Gen. xv. 1) or, “And God said to Israel in the visions of
the night” (ibid. xlvi. 2), or such as the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah contain;
in all these cases the prophets, though receiving the prophecy in a prophetic dream,
are told that it is a prophecy, and that they have received prophetic inspiration.
But in the case of Solomon, the account concludes, “And Solomon awoke, and behold
it was a dream” (1 Kings iii. 15); and in the account of the second divine appearance,
it is said, “And God appeared to Solomon a second time, as he appeared to him at Gibeon”
(ibid. ix. 2); it was evidently a dream.
This kind of prophecy is a degree below that of which Scripture
says, “In a dream I will speak to him” (Num. xii. 6). When prophets are inspired
in a dream, they by no means call this a dream, although the prophecy reached them
in a dream, but declare it decidedly to be a prophecy. Thus Jacob, our father, when
awaking from a prophetic dream, did not say it was a dream, but declared, “Surely
there is the Lord in this place,” etc. (Gen. xxviii. 16); “God the Almighty appeared
to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan” (ibid. xlviii. 3), expressing thereby that
it was a prophecy. But in reference to Solomon we read; — “And Solomon awoke, and behold
it was a dream” (1 Kings iii. 15). Similarly Daniel declares that he had a dream;
although he sees an angel and hears his word, he speaks of the event as of a dream;
even when he had received the information [concerning the dreams of Nebukadnezzar],
he speaks of it in the following manner — “Then was the secret revealed to Daniel
in a night vision” (Dan. ii. 19). On other occasions it is said, “He wrote down the
dream”; “ I saw in the visions by night,” etc.;” And the visions of my head confused
me” (Dan. vii. 1, 2, 15); “I was surprised at the vision, and none noticed it” (ibid.
viii. 27). There is no doubt that this is one degree below that form of prophecy
to which the words, “In a dream I will speak to him,” are applied. For this reason
the nation desired to place the book of Daniel among the Hagiographa, and not among
the Prophets. I have, therefore, pointed out to you, that the prophecy revealed
to Daniel and Solomon, although they saw an angel in the dream, was not considered
by them as a perfect prophecy, but as a dream containing correct information. They
belonged to the class of men that spoke, inspired by the ruaḥ ha-kodesh,” the holy
spirit.” Also in the order of the holy writings, no distinction is made between
the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Psalms, Ruth, and Esther; they are
all written by divine inspiration. The authors of all these books are called prophets
in the more general sense of the term.

(3) The third class is the lowest [class of actual prophets, i.e.]
of those who introduce their speech by the phrase, “And the word of the Lord came
unto me,” or a similar phrase. The prophet sees an allegory in a dream-under those
conditions which we have mentioned when speaking of real prophecy — and in the
prophetic dream itself the allegory is interpreted. Such are most of the allegories
of Zechariah.

(4) The prophet hears in a prophetic dream something clearly and
distinctly, but does not see the speaker. This was the case with Samuel in the beginning
of his prophetic mission, as has been explained (chap. xliv.).

(5) A person addresses the prophet in a dream, as was the case
in some of the prophecies of Ezekiel. Comp. “And the man spake unto me, Son of man,”
etc. (Ezek. xl. 4).

(6) An angel speaks to him in a dream; this applies to most of
the prophets: e.g., “And an angel of God said to me in a dream of night” (Gen. xxxi.
11).

(7) In a prophetic dream it appears to the prophet as if God spoke
to him. Thus Isaiah says, “And I saw the Lord, and I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isa. vi. 1, 8). Micaiah, son
of Imla, said likewise, “I saw the Lord” (1 Kings xxii. 19).

(8) Something presents itself to the prophet in a prophetic vision;
he sees allegorical figures, such as were seen by Abraham in the vision “between
the pieces” (Gen. xv. 9, 10); for it was in a vision by daytime, as is distinctly
stated.

(9) The prophet hears words in a prophetic vision; as, e.g., is
said in reference to Abraham, “And behold, the word came to him, saying, This shall
not be thine heir” (ibid. xv. 4).

(10) The prophet sees a man that speaks to him in a prophetic
vision; e.g., Abraham in the plain of Mamre (ibid. xviii. 1), and Joshua in Jericho
(Josh. v. 13).

(11) He sees an angel that speaks to him in the vision, as was
the case when Abraham was addressed by an angel at the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen.
xxii. 15). This I hold to be — if we except Moses — the highest degree a prophet can
attain according to Scripture, provided he has, as reason demands, his rational
faculties fully developed. But it appears to me improbable that a prophet should
be able to perceive in a prophetic vision God speaking to him; the action of the
imaginative faculty does not go so far, and therefore we do not notice this in the
case of the ordinary prophets: Scripture says expressly, “In a vision I will make
myself known, in a dream I will speak to him”; the speaking is here connected with
dream, the influence and the action of the intellect is connected with vision; comp.
“In a vision I will make myself known to him” (etvadda‘, hitpael of yada‘, to know”
but it is not said here that in a vision anything is heard from God. When I, therefore,
met with statements in Scripture that a prophet heard words spoken to him, and that
this took place in a vision, it occurred to me that the case in which God appears
to address the prophet seems to be the only difference between a vision and a dream,
according to the literal sense of the Scriptural text. But it is possible to explain
the passages in which a prophet is reported to have heard in the course of a vision
words spoken to him, in the following manner: at first he has had a vision, but
subsequently he fell into a deep sleep, and the vision was changed into a dream.
Thus we explained the words, “And a deep deep fell upon Abram” (Gen. xv. 12); and
our Sages remark thereon, “This was a deep sleep of prophecy.” According to this
explanation, it is only in a dream that the prophet can hear words addressed to
him; it makes no difference in what manner words are spoken. Scripture supports
this theory, “In a dream I will speak to him.” But in a prophetic vision only allegories
are perceived, or rational truths are obtained, that lead to some knowledge in science,
such as can be arrived at by reasoning. This is the meaning of the words, “In a
vision I will make myself known unto him.” According to this second explanation,
the degrees of prophecy are reduced to eight, the highest of them being the prophetic
vision, including all kinds of vision, even the case in which a man appears to address
the prophet, as has been mentioned. You will perhaps ask this question: among the
different degrees of prophecy there is one in which prophets, e.g., Isaiah, Micaiah,
appear to hear God addressing them; how can this be reconciled with the principle
that all prophets are prophetically addressed through an angel, except Moses our
Teacher, in reference to whom Scripture says, “Mouth to mouth I speak to him” (Num.
xii. 8)? I answer, this is really the case, the medium here being the imaginative
faculty that hears in a prophetic dream God speaking; but Moses heard the voice
addressing him “from above the covering of the ark from between the two cherubim”
(Exod. xxv. 22) without the medium of the imaginative faculty. In
Mishne-torah we
have given the characteristics of this kind of prophecy, and explained the meaning
of the phrases, “Mouth to mouth I speak to him”; “As man speaketh to his neighbour”
(Exod. xxxiii. 11), and the like. Study it there, and I need not repeat what has
already been said.